science

Rubbermaid

Rubbermaid is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Rubbermaid rather than just read about it. In short: Rubbermaid is an American manufacturer and distributor of household items. A subsidiary of Newell Brands, it is best known for producing food storage containers and trash cans.

Key takeaways

Rubbermaid belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Rubbermaid to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Rubbermaid from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Rubbermaid is an American manufacturer and distributor of household items. A subsidiary of Newell Brands, it is best known for producing food storage containers and trash cans. It also produces sheds, step stools, closets and shelving, laundry baskets, bins, air fresheners and other household items.

History

Rubbermaid was founded in 1920 in Wooster, Ohio, as the Wooster Rubber Company by nine businessmen. Originally, Wooster Rubber Company manufactured toy balloons. In 1933, James R. Caldwell and his wife received a patent for their blue rubber dustpan. They called their line of rubber kitchen products Rubbermaid. In 1934 Horatio Ebert saw Rubbermaid products at a New England department store, and believed such products could help his struggling Wooster Rubber. He engineered a merger of the two enterprises in July 1934. Still named the Wooster Company, the new group began to produce rubber household products under the Rubbermaid brand name. In 1984, Rubbermaid acquired Little Tikes, a toy maker. In 1985, Rubbermaid acquired competitor Gott Corporation. In 1996, Rubbermaid acquired Graco baby products. In 1999, Rubbermaid was purchased by Newell for $6 billion. Then Newell changed its name to Newell Rubbermaid. Newell Rubbermaid changed its name again to the present-day Newell Brands in 2016 as part of a takeover of Jarden in another merger. In 2003, the company announced its move out of Wooster to Atlanta, Georgia; 850 manufacturing and warehouse jobs would be eliminated, and 409 office jobs would move to other locations. A Rubbermaid distribution center remained at the former headquarters for some time, until it was in 2015 rented by GOJO Industries, Inc. On November 16, 2004, Rubbermaid was used as a prime example in the PBS Frontline documentary "Is Walmart Good for America?".

Timeline

1920 Wooster Rubber is launched. 1927 Horatio Ebert and Errett Grable took over managing the company from the original 9 founders. 1933 Rubbermaid is launched. 1933 First Rubbermaid dustpan is introduced. 1934 Wooster Rubber and Rubbermaid merge to form Wooster Rubber Company and sell Rubbermaid products. 1942 WW2 eliminated Rubbermaid's housewares business, but the company was able to convert to military manufacturing. 1947 Rubbermaid introduces a line of rubber automotive accessories. 1955 Wooster Rubber Co. offer first public offering. 1956 Rubbermaid ventures into plastic products. 1957 Wooster Rubber Company changes name to Rubbermaid. 1965 Purchases German company Dupol. 1976 1,100 members of the United Rubber Workers union call a strike. 1981 Purchases Con-Tact plastic coverings. 1984 Acquires the Little Tikes Company. 1999 Newell acquires Rubbermaid for $5.8 billion and changes corporate name to Newell Rubbermaid. 2003 Rubbermaid headquarters move from Wooster, Ohio to Atlanta, GA. 2016 Newell Rubbermaid becomes Newell Brands as part of a takeover of Jarden in a merger. 2017 Newell sells the Rubbermaid totes line to United Solutions.

Former CEOs 1933–1959 James Caldwell 1959–1980 Donald Noble 1980–1991 Stanley C. Gault 1991–1992 Walter W. Williams 1993–1999 Wolfgang Schmitt

Acquisitions Prior to Rubbermaid merging with Newell Company.

1965 Dupol - German 1981 Carlan 1984 Little Tikes - Sold to MGA Entertainment in 2006. 1985 Gott Corporation 1986 MicroComputer Accessories 1986 Seco Industries 1987 Viking Brush - Canadian 1990 Eldon Industries 1992 Iron Mountain Forge Corporation 1994 Carex Health Care Products 1995 Injectaplastic S.A - French 1996 Graco (baby products) 1997 Curver - Europe - Sold in 2005.

See also Lock & Lock Newell Brands Tupperware

References

External links

Official website

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Rubbermaid

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Rubbermaid claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Rubbermaid before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Rubbermaid ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Rubbermaid

In research: Rubbermaid appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Rubbermaid in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Rubbermaid is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1920 establishments in Ohio, 1999 mergers and acquisitions, American companies established in 1920, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Rubbermaid outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Rubbermaid in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Rubbermaid means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Rubbermaid out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Rubbermaid in simple terms?

Rubbermaid is an American manufacturer and distributor of household items. A subsidiary of Newell Brands, it is best known for producing food storage containers and trash cans.

Why does Rubbermaid matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Rubbermaid?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Rubbermaid.